The Food: Unlike most ramen shops, Tohenboku uses chicken broth instead of traditional pork. Bowls come with fresh-cranked noodles in four types of broth: garlic, chili, original (creamy) and light (clear). Each soup is topped with wood ear mushrooms, a boiled egg, seaweed and scallions. Chef Machida makes his noodles with a special high-protein flour for optimal elasticity.

The Drinks: Japanese beer and sake.

The Place: The streamlined space has bright red walls, modern furnishings and an open kitchen where noodles are cranked daily on an imported ramen-machine.